Blogs

Learn how to better manage your Hyper-V environment and improve performance. In this article, we'll walk through how to optimally configure your VMs and servers. Then, we'll provide a number of tips for monitoring your Hyper-V VMs.

A key aspect of optimizing and monitoring performance is understanding the requirements for the workloads. You need to identify these requirements, along with the dependencies of the software that you'll run, and then categorize the various types of resource utilization parameters. These are the high-level considerations:

Memory - What is the amount of RAM that is necessary for a specific VM? Is this amount adequate for all levels of application activity?

CPU - Learn if the applications are typically CPU-intensive. Is it possible the performance gains will be seen with multiple CPUs?

Storage Options - Account for all speed and capacity requirements for storage that supports the VMs. Will the applications run better using network storage?

Network - Does any VM need access to other systems-or to the Internet? Which of these VMs will generate heavy traffic?

Gather this information from historical statistics that your organization may be collecting, or think through how best to conduct the estimates. Either approach will be helpful in identifying potential performance bottlenecks.

Open infrastructure builders and users from a diverse swath of industries and open source technologies will meet in Berlin November 13-15 at the OpenStack Summit where they will share their work on integration of open infrastructure technologies and offer an inside look at their deployments and use cases. The agenda for the event is now live and features 100+ sessions addressing more than 35 open source projects, including new projects hosted at the OpenStack Foundation: Kata Containers, Zuul, Airship and StarlingX.

Green Cloud Technologies ("Green Cloud"), a cloud technology solutions provider, has partnered with AVANT, a leader of channel sales enablement of next-generation IT solutions. In this new strategic partnership, Green Cloud will become an AVANT cloud provider, expanding AVANT's product portfolio for cloud-based IT solutions.

AVANT partners will now be able to sell Green Cloud's IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), VMware powered DaaS (Desktop as a Service), DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) and Veeam Powered BaaS (Backup-as-a-Service). Green Cloud is one of the largest independent channel-only cloud IaaS providers in the country, with data centers in Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, Houston, TX, Minneapolis, MN, Nashville, TN and Phoenix, AZ.

Datrium, the leader in Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure, today announced Datrium CloudShift, the first SaaS-based DR orchestration service for VMware to combine radically simple operation, low recovery point objectives (RPO), low AWS cloud cost, and end-to-end readiness assurance. The combination of Datrium's single data stack design, which is inclusive of both primary and backup data, together with its SaaS platform for hybrid clouds, ensures enterprises can finally handle the challenge plaguing most real or tested disaster recovery (DR) events: predictable success. Datrium will demonstrate CloudShift at the VMworld 2018 U.S., Aug. 26-30, Booth #1350.

Enterprises are continually seeking new economic models for IT practices, including public cloud leverage. However, due to data volume constraints created by on-premises to cloud communications, few large organizations embrace cloud-based DR due to bandwidth/latency limitations or costs. This is especially the case when using primary infrastructure replication. While modern backup products claim reduced bandwidth and cloud DR storage costs, backups are intrusive, and their restore points are typically too far apart for DR SLAs. Above either, DR orchestration software requires ongoing multi-vendor compatibility and software maintenance, leading to complexity and frequent failures in DR tests.

BAE Systems announced a new strategic partnership with Flexera to help government agencies moving to the cloud better manage their software licenses and more accurately plan and budget for their future information technology (IT) needs.

Under the partnership, BAE Systems, a company with unparalleled experience managing the cloud complexities that arise during cloud migrations, will integrate Flexera's leading asset and license management tools into its scalable, hybrid cloud environment for government. The federated secure cloud, developed by BAE Systems and Dell EMC, is designed from the ground up to meet mission needs and security requirements for any U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense (DoD), or federal/civilian government organization.

MapR Technologies, Inc., provider of the industry's leading data platform for AI and Analytics, today announced a new, free on-demand course from MapR Academy on application containers and Kubernetes. Application Containers and Kubernetes explains how Kubernetes enhances application containers and makes them a viable solution for deployment on an enterprise level. This course is ideal for business decision-makers and administrators who want to more fully understand how to use application containers in a production environment.

"Application containers and Kubernetes are two relatively new technologies used to improve efficiency of creating and deploying applications in an enterprise environment. Even users who are comfortable with application containers may not understand how Kubernetes can ease their transition into using application containers on a production environment," said Suzanne Ferry, vice president, global training and enablement, MapR Technologies. "This course explains how Kubernetes enhances application containers and makes them a viable solution for deployment on an enterprise level."

Not so long ago, cloud computing seemed like something out of a science fiction storyline. Instead of dedicating space for information, programs, and applications on your own hard drive, you can just pop onto the internet and access all of the data from any place. These days, more applications and programs are moving to the cloud for greater accessibility and flexibility.

As a landlord, you have a job that requires 24/7 diligence. You never know when a water heater could start leaking or a tenant could have a security emergency. Thankfully, cloud-based applications can actually make your job easier and your tenants' experience in your units better.

Working in IT is a tough job because it’s a complex industry and you need to have specific knowledge that’s going to help advance the company where you work. Part of your responsibility in a leadership role is to be a good manager and help the employees who are under you succeed.

Not only will you enjoy your job more when you learn how to become a better IT manager, but your department will likely thrive as well. People will start to notice all your hard work,and you’ll have a better chance at being in the running for the next promotion.

Educate Yourself

As a manager, you can’t always expect to depend on other people for answers and solutions. You have to want to take the initiative to educate yourself on all that’s going on in the IT world and be ready to propose your ideas to management. Become a better IT manager when you not only have the skill, but also the knowledge to excel at your job. Attend conferences, read up on various publications and take online courses to help you gain new information and stay on top of the latest trends. Keep in mind that the more you know the better suggestions you can make and the more people will trust you to do a good job.

IGEL, a world leader in endpoint management software for the secure enterprise, today announced that it is bringing the DISRUPT End User Computing (EUC) Forum to Las Vegas. The event will take place August 26-28, 2018 at Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, and will feature presentations on latest innovations in end-user computing and workspace management, deep dive trainings on IGEL products and solution demonstrations by IGEL ecosystem and channel partners. Event registration is now open.

"End user computing is fast becoming a top priority for IT driven by Window 10 migrations and security challenges," said Jed Ayres, President and CEO of IGEL North America and Global CMO. "DISRUPT EUC Las Vegas will address these challenges and more through thought leadership sessions and deep dive trainings. As the center for EUC disruption in 2018, this event is the best place to learn how to optimize endpoints for optimal user productivity and security through today's state-of-the-art VDI and DaaS solutions."